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Figure 6: Positive Influence of Role Models on Young People<br />
(Based on general population adults ages 18-64)<br />
Coaches<br />
12% 65%<br />
77%<br />
Parents<br />
15% 54%<br />
69%<br />
Teammates<br />
8% 60%<br />
68%<br />
Teachers<br />
12% 55%<br />
67%<br />
Olympic athletes<br />
17% 49%<br />
66%<br />
College athletes<br />
11% 45%<br />
56%<br />
Professional athletes<br />
12% 37%<br />
49%<br />
Officials<br />
Spectators<br />
6% 36%<br />
6% 29%<br />
35%<br />
42%<br />
Completely positive<br />
Mostly positive<br />
Q 132: Please rate the following on their overall influence on young people – would you say the following generally<br />
have a... completely positive, mostly positive, neither positive nor negative, mostly negative or completely negative<br />
influence on youth today?<br />
Winter Games, research found that the<br />
U.S. Olympic Committee continues<br />
to be the most positively viewed sport<br />
organization of all American sports<br />
and that it was considered to be a more<br />
sportsmanlike organization (85 percent)<br />
than, for example, NCAA (56 percent).<br />
Those surveyed expressed positive views<br />
about Olympic athletes, with 84 percent<br />
saying they are positive role models for<br />
children (compared to 37 percent for<br />
NCAA athletes) and 75 percent saying<br />
they uphold a strong moral and ethical<br />
code. Significantly, although 32 percent<br />
of respondents want Americans to win<br />
the Olympic medal count, 59 percent say<br />
it is more important to demonstrate good<br />
sportsmanship. 124<br />
Among children and youth participating<br />
in the <strong>Sport</strong> in America survey, teenagers<br />
were more likely than children ages 8 to<br />
10 and tweens to give most role models<br />
less positive ratings, including coaches,<br />
parents, teachers, officials, and spectators,<br />
while rating Olympic and college athletes<br />
more positively than did younger players.<br />
The <strong>Sport</strong> in America research found that<br />
coaches rank as the number one positive<br />
influence on today’s youth, according to<br />
the majority of respondents. This makes<br />
coaches, perhaps even more so than<br />
parents and teachers, the guardians of<br />
youth sport. These adults are closest to<br />
youth sport participants (both proximally<br />
and emotionally) and are generally<br />
perceived as having a positive influence<br />
on young people.<br />
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